This invention relates to an optical connector, and more particularly to an optical connector which is able to be assembled without requiring any adhesion.
An optical connector shown in FIGS. 6a-6d has been known. The known optical connector includes five parts, as a front body 12 (sometimes called "ferrule"), a conical sleeve 14 having an internal tapered surface 14a, a sleeve 16, fiber holding members 18 having externally tapered surfaces 18a and a rear body 20.
An optical fiber cord 22 includes a sheath 24, a coated or covered portion 26 and an optical fiber 28 as shown in FIG. 7. The optical fiber cord 22 is incorporated in the optical connector in the following manner.
The rear body 20 is arranged on the covered portion 26 of the optical fiber cord 22. The front portion of the covered portion 26 and the exposed part of the optical fiber 28 adjacent to the covered portion 26 are then embraced by the fiber holding members 18, onto which the sleeve 16 and the conical sleeve 14 are then fitted. Thereafter, the forward end of the thus assembled parts including the optical fiber cord 22 is inserted into the front body 12. The rear body 20 is then strongly screwed into the rear end of the front body 12. As a result, the optical fiber 28 is securely embraced by the fiber holding members 18 owing to a wedge effect resulting from the tapered surfaces 14a and 18a of the conical sleeve 14 and the fiber holding members 18.
The known optical connector described above suffers several disadvantages from the fact that it has numerous parts. What is worse still, the front body 12, the fiber holding members 18 and the rear body 20 cannot be preassembled and must be separately stored before an optical fiber is incorporated in the optical connector. Consequently, these parts are likely to be lost or disappear so that the known optical connector is disadvantageous in management, storage, packaging and transportation. Moreover, it is difficult for a known optical connector to lower the manufacturing cost. Further, operations for assembling and connecting the known connector are difficult and time-consuming and require great skill.